Ella Balasa is a patient advocate, consultant, and a person living with cystic fibrosis. She was diagnosed at 18 months old and has experienced countless hospitalizations since being a child. She has committed her time to empowering patients and advancing research and healthcare strategies through her connections with researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and patient organizations. She is an advocate for the development of novel therapies for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections and speaks publicly at conferences, meetings, and company gatherings about the value of patient perspective. She also has a passion for writing, distilling clinical information for patient communities and sharing about the hardships yet triumph that comes with living with a chronic illness. She has been published in journals, news sites, and blogs. Through opportunities working with healthcare organizations and sharing her journey through content strategy, writing, public speaking, clinical trial development, and sharing the patient experience, she aims to affect the healthcare landscape by raising awareness of rare diseases, promoting self-advocacy to patients, and providing valuable insights to organizations. More of her work and experiences can be found at www.ellabalasa.com.